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Thursday, January 31, 2013

"The Tutor's Daughter" by Julie Klassen

Filled with page-turning suspense, The Tutor'sDaughter takes readers to the windswept Cornwall coast-a place infamous for shipwrecks and superstitions-where danger lurks, faith is tested, and romance awaits.

Emma Smallwood, determined to help her widowed father when his boarding school fails, accompanies him to the cliff-top manor of a baronet and his four sons. But soon after they arrive and begin teaching the two younger boys, mysterious things begin to happen. Who does Emma hear playing the pianoforte at night, only to find the music room empty? And who begins sneaking into her bedchamber, leaving behind strange mementoes?

The baronet's older sons, Phillip and Henry Weston, wrestle with problems-and secrets-of their own. They both remember the studious Miss Smallwood from their days at her father's academy. But now one of them finds himself unexpectedly drawn to her...

When suspicious acts escalate, can Emma figure out which brother to blame and which to trust with her heart?

Romance and intrigue abound in The Tutor's Daughter. I never would have expected so many mysterious, crooked, and dangerous events in a Regency romance, but this one will keep you guessing! The setting is perfect for a dark and dangerous story, while the heroine makes the best of her situation and goes about her business with bold bravery. While Emma definitely undergoes a transformation in the pages of this book, she will become your hero, as well!

Klassen paints vivid pictures of life in the Regency era with her most recent work, much as she does in The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, but in The Tutor's Daughter the location plays a part as big as the time period. It is not only clothing and social class that set the scene, but also the lonely cliffs, the destructive sea, and the large estate that take center stage in this book. You can't help but picture it all as you read.

Early in the story I thought I knew the ending, which is always a bit disappointing, but Klassen through so many twists and turns into the plot that although I had one part right, I was kept guessing through the entire book. I could never have fully imagined the story she imagined! Finding a surprise in every chapter makes me a happy reader.

You can read other reviews in this blog hop here. To purchase your own copy of The Tutor's Daughter,click here.

Julie Klassen loves all things Jane--Jane Eyre and Jane Austen. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Julie worked in publishing for sixteen years and now writes full time. She has won the Christy Award: Historical Romance forThe Silent Governess (2010) andThe Girl in the Gatehouse (2011) which also won the 2010 Midwest Book Award for Genre Fiction. Julie and her husband have two sons and live in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota.

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About Me

I'm married to a wonderful man and spend most of my time at home with my family. I'm a teacher-turned-SAHM and am homeschooling our children - currently in kindergarten and second grade.I am always learning more about how to balance home and hearth and be the woman that God has created me to be - and to help make our home a secure nest among the rocks. This is my record of what I'm learning along the way.